Making Them Believe: The 21 Principles and Lost Secrets of Dr. J. R. Brinnkley-Style Marketing

by Dan S. Kennedy

For the individual making audacious promises, a carefully cultivated and promoted Dynamic Persona is important. The stock market guru isn’t driving around in a ten year old clunker but rather is seen in a Bentley, Rolls Royce, or perhaps a Ferrari. He may present himself as a man of great controversy, at odds with the Wall Street establishment. Or as a man of science, who has brought a unique discipline to investing, based not on traditional financial thought, but on nuclear physics. Or as a confidante of the rich, famous and mighty, photographed with Hollywood, sports and business celebrities. One way or another, he will create an aura of intrigue and interest for himself—he will never be personally unimportant, with all the focus directed at his product. Likewise, John R. Brinkley was careful to cultivate such an aura. He told the world that he was a serious and driven student of his craft. Brinkley presented himself as a cloistered man, someone not easily available just because someone wanted to speak with him, even a potential patient. In his radio broadcasts, he made it forcefully clear that he did not accept just anybody as a patient, and had to be convinced of your sincerity. He did not run from the fact that he was at odds with the medical establishment; he made much of his rogue status. He told of other doctors’ and hospitals’ failures and of his dramatic life-saving successes. He made himself big and important—he did not just have an office or clinic; he had The ...